Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 beta dates are disappointing for Xbox players TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 beta dates are disappointing for Xbox players By Callum Bains published 8 August 2022 Sony steals the kill (Image credit: Activision Blizzard) Audio player loading… Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's beta test dates have been revealed, giving PlayStation fans something to get excited about but leaving Xbox players a little cold. Ahead of its October release date, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will available to play as part of two open beta weekends. According to Activision (opens in new tab), the preview will let players try out a handful of maps, modes, and weapons, as well as other "innovations and surprises". Several rewards can also be unlocked, which will carry over to the full game at launch. The first beta test will run from September 18 to September 20, but is only available to PS5 and PS4 players. If you pre-order the game on a PlayStation system, you'll be able to dip in even earlier, on September 16. Activision has confirmed that you won't need to have an active PS Plus subscription to take part. The second beta test runs from September 24 to September 26, and is open to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC gamers. PlayStation players can dive in early on September 22, as can anyone who's pre-ordered the game for Xbox Series XS, Xbox One, or PC. If you're on Xbox, an Xbox Live Gold or Xbox Game Pass subscription will be required to participate. The playtest will support crossplay, however, so you can play with your buddies across systems. We've rounded up all the beta tests' dates and start times below. The end times for each preview session haven't yet been announced. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta – weekend one, PlayStation exclusive Pre-order early access Start date: September 16 Start times: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm BST / September 17, 4am AEDT End date: September 17 Open beta Start date: September 18 Start times: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm BST / September 19, 4am AEDT End date: September 20 Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 beta: weekend twoPlayStation open beta Start date: September 22 Start times: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm BST / September 23, 4am AEDT End date: September 26 Xbox and PC pre-order early access Start date: September 22 Start times: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm BST / September 23, 4am AEDT End date: September 26 Xbox and PC open beta Start date: September 24 Start times: 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm BST / September 25, 4am AEDT End date: September 26 How to sign up to the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 beta (Image credit: Activision Blizzard) The easiest way of nabbing a spot in the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta tests is to pre-order the game. Once you do that, Activision will email you a beta code to be redeemed at this online portal (opens in new tab). But you don't need to splash the cash just yet. Activision previously gave away beta codes during its Call of Duty Championship stream on August 7, and says it will continue to roll out "more opportunities to receive Early Access beta code drops" in the coming weeks. We expect more codes will be given away on September 15, when Activision is set to hold its Call of Duty: Next showcase. Billed as a major franchise event during which "the future of Call of Duty will be revealed", we can expect to hear more details about Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Warzone 2, and the battle royale's mobile spin-off. PlayStation players are getting special treatment for Modern Warfare 2's upcoming beta because of Sony and Activision's longstanding exclusivity agreement. Sony won't enjoy that exclusivity deal forever, though. If Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard successfully passes, the Xbox owner will swoop up the Call of Duty license for itself. Microsoft says it will honor any existing agreements between Activision and Sony, but it's likely some content will be made exclusive to Xbox players in the future, just as Starfield was made Xbox-only after Microsoft bought Bethesda.Xbox Series S games are about to get a performance boost Callum BainsGaming News WriterCallum is TechRadar Gaming's News Writer. You'll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he'll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games. See more Gaming news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. 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